Dam



Aug. 30, 1938. J nMApARAs 2,128,657

DAM v Original Filed April 10, 1933 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 fizz enter alias.01 /*Za James 4mm MM Mam. ##QMW WWW Aug. 30, 1938. J MADARAS 2,128,657

' v DAM Original Filed April 10, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 .flzvezrtar' v.

7/212 z'zas J/Za Jar'as 1 WW/Wh/WM Patented Aug. 30, 1938 UNITED STATESDAM Julius D. Madaras, Detroit, Mich.

Application April 10, 1933; Serial No.- 665,450 RenewedDecemb'er 28,1936 12 Claims. (01. 61-33) Thisinvention relates to dam constructionsand has as one of its objects to materially reduce the cost ofinstallation ofdams as well as to improve the constructionthereof.

6:: The cost of dams constructed in accordance with conventionalpractice is approximately proportional to the square of the height ofthe dam, and inasmuch as the latter dimension is usually calculated fromthe bed rock to the water level, the cost of installation may beexpressed mathematically as approximately proportional to K(hi+h2) +awhere K is: aconstant, hi is the distance from the river bottom to bedrock ha is the effective height or, in other words, the distance fromtheriver bottom to the water level, and.al. is a factor dependingluponconditions existing-at the site=ofinstallation.v 1

The present invention contemplates materially reducing the costzofinstallation of dams by providing a construction composed ofconsiderably less material 1 than. damsof the general character setforth inthe previous paragraph. and posbeyond the river bottom to bedrock so that the actual height ofthe dammay be calculated fromthe-riverbottom instead of bed rockor, in other words, is the same as theeffective-height referred to above in discussing conventional types ofdams. As a consequence, the cost of a" dam constructed in accordancewith the foregoing may be ex pressed mathematically as proportional toKhz+a+b where b isva factor peculiar to the cable structure of thisinvention instead vof the eXpresison K(h1+hz) +a employed in calculatingcosts of the present constructions of dams. The

saving in material and consequent saving in the cost .of installationeffected bylthe invention will be apparent upon comparing the twoaforesaidmathematical expressions.- j I p The foregoing aswellasnumerous other structuralfeatures will be ma'de moreapparent as thisdescriptionproceeds, especially when-considered in'connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure -1- is a sectional view through an installation of a damconstructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective viewfeaturing one typeof cable connection;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the upright wall of a'damfeaturing the reinforcing means for the concrete and the-manner in whichthe c'able brackets are secured in place;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the upstream face ofthe dam;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified form ofconstruction;

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional View through a portion of the uprightwall of the construction shown in Figure 5 illustrating the adjustablecable connection with said wall;

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view showing the manner in which thecables are anchored in the foundation rock;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view through another modified form of'the invention;

- Figure 9 is a similar view illustrating still an other modification ofthe invention.

Referring now to the several specific embodiments of the inventionfeatured herein and with special reference to the installation shown inFigure 1, it will be noted that the latter comprises a dam 15 formedprincipally from concrete and steel beams. The-dam l5'is provided withan upright wall section NS for obstructing the stream and is formed atthe lower end thereof with a horizontally disposed apron I! extendinglaterally from the upstream side of the wall I6. The apron ll has awidth substantially equal to the length of the wall I6 of the dam, andwhile the length of the apron may vary in dependence upon theinstallation, nevertheless, it is preferably about twice aslong as theheight of the wall Hi.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1, the apron I1 isseated upon the river bottom designated in the above figure by thereference character I8 and is anchored in the foundation rock below theriver-bottom by suitable piling designated by the'reference characterl9. In the present instance, the piling I9 is located directly below theupright wall It of the dam andat the upstream end of the apron ll. Underordinary condtions, the above piling should be sufficient toprevent'skidding of the dam, but in the event it is desired to moreeffectively anchor the. dam,.the action of the piling may besupanchoring these ribs to bed rock through the medium of suitablecables 2|. By reason of the above construction, it is not essential toextend the upright wall 16 of the dam into bed rock as is the usualpractice, and, as a consequence, a saving in material is not onlyrealized, but a saving in labor is also effected. In other words, theactual height of the wall it of the dam shown in Figure l is equal tothe distance from the river bottom to the water level as distinguishedfrom the conventional dam construction wherein the actual height of thewall is represented by the distance from the foundation rock to thewater level.

In accordance with this invention, the force of the water upon theupstream side of the wall i6 is resolved into different components, andthis is accomplished herein by bracing the wall Hi from the apron Hthrough the medium of a plurality of cables 22 varying in number independence upon the length and depth of the wall 56 exposed to the waterpressure. In general, the upper ends of the cables 22 are anchored inthe concrete wall l8 at spaced intervals, and the lower ends of thecables are suitably anchored in the apron H. In detail, the concretewall I6 is reinforced by steel beams 23 embedded in the wall andsuitable anchors 2 5 are welded or otherwise suitably secured to theupstream sides of the beams 23 as shown particularly in Figure 2 of thedrawings. As will also be apparent from the above figure, the anchors 24project through the upstream side of the wall it and terminate insuitable eyes 25 to which the upper ends of the cables are rigidlysecured. In order toprovide for anchoring the lower ends of the'cablesin the apron H, I provide additional anchors 26 secured within theconcrete apron ill and terminating at the upper ends thereof in suitableeyes 2? to which the lower ends of the cables are suitably secured. Theanchors 26 as well as the anchors 2 5 are inclined in directionscoincident to the angle of inclination of the cables connected theretoso that the bending stresses on the anchors will be reduced to theminimum.

With the above construction, it will be apparent that the water pressureon the dam is equalized by the horizontal component of the force appliedto the cables, and the upright wall [6 of the dam carries only thevertical component of the resultant force on the cables plus the weightof the dam. In other words, the overturning moment exerted on the walll6 by the water pressure is resisted by the cables ZZinstead of by theweight of the wall itself as is the conventional practice. Moreover,with the above type of dam construction, the weight of the watersupported by the apron serves to balance the upward force components onthe cables or, in other words, the weight of the Water exerting theoverturning force against the wall I6 of the dam is utilized forresisting this force by counteracting any tendency for the apron to moveupwardly under the action of the same. It necessarily follows,therefore, that the material contained in the upright wall It of the damneed not be proportional to the square of the height of the wall as isthe case in conventional installations, but may be considerably lesssince the wall is not depended upon to withstand the overturning moment.Perhaps the outstanding fundamental difference between the present damconstruction and conventional practice may be more readily understoodupon comparing the mathematical expressions governing the constructionof the walls of both types of dams. The material necessary and the costof installation of dams constructed in accordance with conventionalpractice is approximately proportional to K(h1|h2) +a where K representsa constant, hi is the distance from the river bottom to bed rock, ha isthe effective height or in other words the distance from the riverbottom to the water level, and a represents a factor determined inaccordance with the conditions at the point of installation. n the'otherhand, the material as well as the cost of installing the wall I6 issubstantially equal to Khz-l-a-l-b wherein K represents the constant, aand 12 represent factors depending upon conditions existing at the sideof installation, and where 11, represents both the effective and actualheight of the dam since the latter dimensions are the same in theinstallation shown in Figure 1. By comparing the two aforesaidmathematical expressions, it will be apparent that the thickness of thewall in the present instance is considerably less than the correspondingdimension of the wall in conventional installations, and, as aconsequence, considerably less material is required in forming the same.While the saving in building costs effected by materially reducing theamount of material to be handled is somewhat offset by the cost of thecable equipment necessary in the formation of the dam shown in Figure 1,nevertheless, when everything is considered, the total cost of buildingthe dam featured in this figure would be considerably less than a dam ofequivalent strength constructed in accordance with the usual practice.

When installing a dam constructed in accordance with Figure 1 whereincables are employed to brace the upright wall I6, it is desirable tomake some allowance'for the expansion of the cables due to stretching ortemperature variations. In the present instance, expansion of the cablesis compensated for by inclining the entire Wall I6 from the verticaltoward the upstream side of the dam a distance predetermined independence upon the normal stretch or expansion of the particular cablesemployed. With this construction,.the wall will give more readily underthe action of the water to take up any slack in the cables withoutfracture.

In order to prevent any possibility of the water on the high pressureside of the wall to escape through a crack or other aperture in the wallto the low pressure side thereof, the upstream side of the wall may becovered with sheet metal designated generally herein by the referencecharacter 3D. The latter may be fabricated in the manner shown in Figure4 and is secured to the wall I6 by welding the sheets to the portions ofthe anchors 24 extending therethrough as shown particularly in Figure 2.

As is usually the case, the dam I5 is provided with a number ofspillways in. the form of open ings 3| through the upper regions of thewall I6 so as to provide for the escape of water from the high pressureside of the dam to the low pressure side thereof. In the presentinstance, the water escaping through the openings 3| is collected bysuitable conduits 32 fixedly secured to the front side of the dam andcommunicating at the lower ends with suitable power means (not shownhere- In construction of the type shown in Figure 1 wherein the apron llof the dam is seated upon the subsoil or river bed above the foundationrock, it is highly desirable to prevent the water from buildingup apressure against the-underside of the apron since such a conditi'onwould reduce the effect of the water-abovethe apron'to anchor the dam.In the-present instance, the piling I9 at bothends of the dam is'in theform of a wall anchored in the bed rock "so as to minimize the escape ofwater into the space between thebed rock and apron I1. I-Ioweven'inorder'to insure maintaining the aforesaid space relatively free fromwater under pressure, I provide'a drain 33 establishing communicationbetween the said space and low pressure 'sideof the wall 15. If desired,a suitable pressure relief valve 34 may be fixed within the frontend ofthe drain so as to prevent any tendency for the water on the lowpressure side of the dam to flow through the drain into the spacebetween the-bed rock, and apron.

In certain types of installations, it is frequently desirable to providerelief gates in the lower regions of the wall l6 of the dam, and thismay be accomplished herein by extending a conduit 35 through the lowerportion ofthe wall l5 having the rear end welded to the sheet metalfacing and having a manually controlled valve 36 positioned forconvenient manipulation at the front side of the wall I6 to control theflow of water through the conduit. The conduit 35, as well as all of theother metallic parts of the dam which are exposed to the water, ispreferably galvanized or formed of stainless steel so as not to corrodeand become ineffective for accomplishing their respective functions. I

Referring now tothe modification of the invention shown inFigure 5, itwillbe notedthat the same differs essentially from .the constructionshown in Figure 1 in that theapron l l is omitted and the wall 46* isanchored in the rock foundaheight of the wall is calculated from the bedrock.

The wall I6 is also supported by a plurality of cables 22 differing fromthe construction shown in Figure l in-that thelower ends of the cablesare embedded directly in the bed rock as at 3! and the upper ends ofthe;cables are adjustably secured to the wall l6 in the manner shown inFigure 6. In detail, a plurality of 'sleeves 38 are extended through theconcrete wall l6 at an angle coincident to the angle of inclination ofthe associated cables, and the end of the sleeve at .the upstream sideof the wall is preferably welded to the sheet metal facing 3!) on thewall I6 The facing 30 may be identical to the facing shown in Figure 1with the exception'that it is preferably-secured to the concrete bysuitable bolts 39 in the manner clearly shown in Figure 6. In thepresent construction, the rear face of the wall [6a is covered withsheet metal as indicated by the reference character 40, and the rearends of the sleeves are welded in suitable openings formed in the facing40. Slidably mounted within each of the sleeves 38 is a bolt Al havingthe rear end projecting beyond the upstream side of the wall [6 andterminating in an eye for attachment to the cables 22*. The forward endsof the bolts 4|, on the other hand, project beyond the facing 45 asufiicient distance to receive suitable washers 42 and are threaded asat 43 at the 55 and opposite walls of the recesses.

construction, it is not necessary to adjustably extremities thereof toreceive clamping nuts 44.

The clamping nuts engage the front ends of the washers 42, while'therear ends of the latter are provided with hearing plates 45 fixed tothe facing through themedium of bolts embedded in the concrete. Whilethe eye-bolts snugly engage the sleeves 38, nevertheless, there is apossibility of the water escaping through the sleeves to the lowpressure side of the'wall Ili and in order to prevent such acondition,'the ends of the washers engaging the bearing plates 45 arerecessed as at 41 for receiving suitable packing glands 48. With theabove construction, it will be apparent that expansion and contractionin the cables due to stress and temperature changes may be com- Ipermitting the major section of the wall l6 to 2 5 move in accordancewith changes in cable length.

In the specific embodiment of the invention shown in Figure '8, the wallNi is divided into three sections comprising a central section and endsections 5|. The central section 50 ex- 5} tends for the major length ofthe Wall [6 and has the low pressure side thereof rabbeted at oppositeends as shown by the reference character 52 for receiving the adjacentends of the end sections 5|. The extreme ends of the sec- 35 tion 50have-secured thereto suitable plates 53 extending rearwardly intosuitable recesses 54 formed in the adjacent ends of the end sections 5|.The plates 53 extend for the full height of the central section 50 andslidably engage corresponding plates 55 fixed to the end sections 5| inthe recesses 54 thereof.

Inasmuch as the recesses 5 in the end sections are open at the highpressure side of the wall IE it will be apparent that the water pressureacting upon the plate 53 will tend to maintain the same in tightfrictional engagement with the cooperating plate 55so as to'preventescape of the water between the plates. In order to insure maintaining asufficiently tight joint between the plates to prevent escape of thewater therebetween, I pro- "vide springs 56 suitably anchored within therecesses 54 in theend sections between the plates With this secure theupper ends of the cables to the wall I5 since a substantial part thereofis permitted to float in effect and thereby take up any variations incable lengths.

The construction shown in Figure 9 is similar to the construction shownin Figure 8 in so far U as forming the walls 16 in sections isconcerned,

. butdifiers therefrom in that the opposite ends of the central sectionare adjustably connected to the end sections through the medium ofcorrugated sheets 60. The corrugated sheets 60 also extend forsubstantially the full height of the wall 3 and are flexible so as topermit the desired movement of the central section in order tocompensate for variations in cable length. It will also be observed fromFigure 9 that the sheets 60 positively prevent escape of the water fromthe high pressure side of the dam to the low pressure side thereof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a dam installation, an upright wall forming an obstruction for astream and having a slab extending from the upstream side thereof at thelower end of the same whereby the weight of the water on the slabresists the overturning force exerted on the wall by the water, andmeans for resolving the overturning moment into different forcecomponents including cables having the upper ends anchored to the walland having the lower ends anchored at longitudinally spaced points insaid slab.

2. In a dam installation, an upright wall forming an obstruction for astream and being insuflicient in itself to withstand the overturningmoment exerted thereon by the water, a slab formed integral with thelower end of the wall and extending from the upstream side of the wallwhereby the weight of the water on the slab serves to assist the wall inresisting the overturning force, and means for resolving the latterforce into different components including cables having the oppositeends respectively anchored to the wall and slab.

3. A dam comprising a, concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insufficient to withstand the overturning moment exerted thereonby the water, a lateral concrete apron extending upstream from saidupright wall and a series of cables between vertically spaced portionsof said upright wall and horizontally spaced portions of said lateralapron.

4. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin'crosssection insufficient to itself withstand the overturning moment exertedthereon by the water, a lateral concrete slab resting on the river bedand extending upstream from said wall for a distance greater than theheight of said wall and a series of cables anchored to said wall atspaced points over the entire area thereof, the cables anchored to thelower portions of said wall being anchored in said slab, the cablesanchored at higher points in said wall being also anchored in said slabat greater distance from said wall, projections extending downwardlyfrom said slab to resist horizontal movement and means for anchoringsaid projections to bed rock.

5. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall and an integral concreteslab resting on the river bed, said slab being extended upstream for agreater distance than the height of said wall and a series of cablesextending between said wall and said slab, said cables being anchored tosaid wall and said slab at a series of points spaced substantiallyuniformly over the entire surface of said wall and of said slab.

6. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection. insufiicient to itself withstand the overturning moment exertedthereon by the water, a lateral concrete slab resting on the river bedand extending upstream from said wall, and a series of cables anchoredto said wall at spaced points over the entire area thereof, the cablesanchored to the lower portions of said wall being anchored in said slaband the cables anchored at higher points in said wall being alsoanchored in said slab at a greater distance from said wall.

'7. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insufficient to itself withstand the overturning moment exertedthereon by the water, a lateral concrete slab rest-.

ing on the river bed and extending upstream from said wall, a series ofcables anchored in said wall and said slab respectively, and projectionsextending downwardly from said slab to resist horizontal movement.

8. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insufiicient to itself withstand the overturning moment exertedthereon by the water,v a lateral concrete slab resting on the river bedand extending upstream fromrsaid wall, a series of cables anchored insaid wall and said slab respectively, projections extending downwardlyfrom said slab to resist horizontal movement, and means for anchoringsaid projections to bed rock.

9. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insuflicient to withstand the overturning moment exerted thereonby the water, a lateral concrete slab extending upstream from said wall,a series of cables extending in. a vertical plane between. said wall andsaid slab, and a beam structure in said wall in the vertical plane ofsaid cables to hold the vertical force component of tension in saidcables in the same plane and the weight of wall and structure on it, andalso hold the horizontal pressure of water in the section.

10. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insufficient to withstand the overturning moment exerted thereonby the water, a lateral concrete slab extending upstream from said wall,a series of cables anchored respectively to said wall and said slab, andmeans on the downstream side of said upright wall to control the tensionin each cable.

11. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insuflicient to withstand the overturning moment exerted thereonby the Water, a lateral concrete slab extending upstream from said wall,a series of cables anchored respectively to said wall and said slab, andmeans to provide a differential static pressure between the upper andlower sides of said slab.

12. A dam comprising a concrete upright wall of relatively thin crosssection insufficient to withstand the overturning moment exerted thereonby the water, a lateral concrete slab extending upstream from said wall,a series. of cables anchored respectively to said wall and said slab, adrain establishing communication between the underside .of said slab andthe downstream side of said upright wall, and a pressure relief valvefor preventing flow from the downstream side of said wall to theunderside of said slab.

JULIUS D. MADARAS.

